June 18, 2008

Dragon Fruit Sorbet

Directions:
Cut the dragon fruit in half. Scoop out the flesh. Reserve the halves for serving, if desired. Freeze the halves until you are ready to fill them (to help them maintain their shape). Meanwhile, place the pulp in the blender along with the water, lime juice and agave nectar. Pulse until smooth. Pour into an ice cream maker and churn until frozen. Spoon into halves and serve. If you are not ready to eat, spoon the sorbet into the halves, wrap each half tightly in plastic wrap then freeze until serving.

Yield: 4 servings

My thoughts:

Dragon fruit has a subtle, not too sweet taste that is great in a sorbet. It is totally refreshing on a hot day.

You could serve it in a bowl, but it is very easy to scoop the flesh out and leave the skin intact so why not use it? The outside of the fruit is so attractive and distinctive it really elevates a simple dessert to something special.

Quick tip:
How to pick a dragon fruit: The thin skin should have a bright color and when you press it, it should give like a slightly ripe avocado. The seeds are similar to that of a kiwifruit so they are totally edible.

When I was in Guatemala I ate these (they called them pitaya like you mentioned) and they were green on the outside, and THE MOST gorgeous shade of hot pink on the inside, it looked unnatural! I wish we could find that kind here, it would look like we were eating radioactive sorbet. Though this looks so delicious and unique as it is!

I've never heard of dragon fruit before, and I would never have imagined them being so pretty if I had. I love learning about new foods so thanks!Now I'm thinking...what else can one do with Dragon Fruit??? Something to ponder.

this post makes me miss china so much which was where i first tried it. i dont really see dragonfruit in the US unless i'm in chinatown every once in a while. the presentation is wonderful too. good job!

Hi, I'm a new reader and loving your blog. I live on the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico and Pitaya are in season here right now and fairly inexpensive. I bought some from a lady selling them in her driveway the other day for a little less than the equivalent of $1 each. We have the pink and green outside, white inside, type. The ones with the red inside are a little farther south in Costa Rica. BTW, while they are popular in Asia and grown commercially there, they are native to this part of Mexico and Central America.

I've only eaten them straight from the shell, cut in half, get spoon and indulge. I'll try the sorbet though, it sounds excellent.

Another reason to grow them if you live where it never freezes (they are very sensitive to temps below 50F) is that they have a luscious white bloom at night with a heavenly scent. They look like a vineing cactus, they climb trees, but they like more humidity and rain than a cactus.

I've never come across dragon fruit in stores, but have always wanted to try it. This sorbet looks delicious and aside from trying a dragon fruit when I find one, the second thing I'll do is make this sorbet!

Oh wow! I ate dragon fruit in Cambodia for the first time. I didn't even know of it before that. It's gaining in popularity in gum, candy and sodas. I have never seen any fresh here in northern California. Now that I know its other names, I'm going to try to find it this summer. This is one of the best sites ever! Thank you! :)